Friday, July 23, 1999
Newport all-star dies in shooting
Anthony Greene was a peacemaker
BY TERRY FLYNN and NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Anthony "Pete" Greene
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NEWPORT — Anthony “Pete” Greene made a habit of helping his friends and teammates at Newport High School. His attempt to be a peacemaker in a Wednesday night fight apparently cost the basketball all-star his life.
Mr. Greene, 18 and a recent Newport graduate, was shot in the chest when he tried to intercede after a 17-year-old boy allegedly pulled a pistol on a friend of Mr. Green's during an altercation in the 900 block of Isabella Street. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital.
Beverly Gentry hugs her daughter on Isabella Street, where Anthony Greene was shot.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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“He was always looking out for everybody,” said recent Newport grad Brian Kuntz, Mr. Greene's basketball teammate.
Newport police were on the scene moments after the shooting and arrested the 17-year-old. Officers said the teen-ager, who was running down the street, was carrying a .380-caliber pistol believed to be the weapon used to shoot Mr. Greene. He was charged with murder.
The suspect, who is not being identified because he is a juvenile, appeared before Campbell District Court Judge Mickey Foellger Thursday and was ordered held in the Mason County Juvenile Detention Center pending an Aug. 5 preliminary hearing. That hearing will determine whether he stays in juvenile court or is bound over to adult court and a grand jury.
“Based on the nature of the offense, including the use of a firearm, and some of the sus pect's prior history, I determined that he definitely needed to remain in detention,” Judge Foellger said after the hearing.
Mr. Greene, an Enquirer basketball all-star, was Northern Kentucky's leading rebounder (11.6 per game) and averaged 18.8 points per game. He led Newport to a 21-7 record last season, its best in six years, with a smooth, selfless style of play.
“Pete was the heart and soul of the team,” said Scott Draud, who taught and coached Mr. Greene the past three years.“He was the best player I ever coached.”
More than for basketball, Mr. Greene was an ambassador of goodwill in his hometown, according to friends and coaches.
“He was a tremendous person in the community,” Mr. Draud said. “He'd go out and meet kids at the elementary schools, go to their games, just let them know they could someday get to where he was.”
Newport police closed off the 900 block of Isabella Thursdayafternoon as friends, classmates and relatives turned the spot where the young man was shot into a shrine.
Stuffed animals, T-shirts, balloons and flowers adorned the telephone pole near the shooting site. One mourner tried to write on a balloon but the sun-warmed surface popped, sending a shudder through the crowd.
Chalk and spray paint on the pavement near where Mr. Greene fell read, “RIP Petey,” the date of the shooting surrounded by a heart, and “We Love You.”
“He was the last person we thought this would happen to,” said close friend Donald Smith. “We thought he'd make it out of Newport. He was a Newport superstar.”
Newport Police Lt. Phil Liles said the investigation indicates Mr. Greene was trying to keep a friend from being shot. Witnesses said he apparently tried to grab the pistol.
“We have heard that the initial argument with the friend might have been over money or over a girl,” Lt. Liles said. “We do not believe that the fight or the shooting was racially motivated. We do feel, however, that it has created racial tension in the area because the victim was black and the suspect is white.”
Additional Newport officers patrolled the neighborhood Thursday night to make sure the area was safe for residents.
“People sometimes give Newport a bad rap, but this is the first time I can remember something like this happening,” Mr. Kuntz said.
Said Andre McClendon, a Newport assistant coach: “It's senseless, but it can happen to anyone. I loved the kid; I still love the kid. He was somewhat like a little brother I never had.”
Mr. Greene had planned to attend either Northern Kentucky University or Cincinnati State, and lately had been leaning toward walking on at NKU in basketball, Mr. Draud said.
He had impressed NKU coaches at a tryout, both with his game and attitude. They had no available scholarships but were considering red-shirting Mr. Greene (letting him practice with the team) and putting him on scholarship the following season.
“He was a guy everybody liked, sort of the Sean Casey of basketball,” said NKU assistant coach Dave Bezold, who had recruited Mr. Greene. “He had a really bright future.”
Mr. Draud said Mr. Greene was a “B or B-plus student” and had been proud of his progress in basketball and school.
“He wanted to go someplace,” Mr. Draud said. “It meant a lot to him to go to school and try to make something of himself. He was a shining star in Newport.”
The Enquirer's Molly Harper contributed to this report.
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